On Wednesday, The Greg Hill Show was joined on the phone by Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy, where the longtime team executive was asked about the team’s uptick in talent acquisition this offseason.
As you all know by now, Boston spent this winter successfully landing big name free agents like third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Walker Buehler, as well as acquiring 25-year-old ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox.
This type of activity is in stark contrast to how the team has operated in recent years, routinely missing out on star talent in both free agency and on the trade market. This has translated on the field, as the team has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons since winning the 2018 World Series.
“I think it’s notable and it’s deserving of praise that the organization is back when it comes to investing,” said WEEI’s Chris Curtis. “Can we now admit that the last couple years were different? That the organization did need to bridge that gap, where you were gonna get the farm system to where it was, to where the team was ready to compete, and that’s what drew John Henry back to the table, and spending at the top of the market for a free agent like Bregman?”
“Look - free agency, Chris, has always been part of the strategy, as we’ve talked about,” said Kennedy. “There’s been limits in terms of where we’ve been willing to go, and we take the bullets for that when we fall short of signing certain free agents.
“But we’re not back until we do it on the field. So, we’re excited about this season. We think we’ve got a real competitive group. There’s a great vibe down here, but we’re not back until we’re pouring champagne on each other in October.”
While Kennedy wasn’t willing to admit that the front office had shifted strategies this offseason, there’s no denying that this winter was more akin to winters of FSG past than anything the team has done since losing in the ALCS in 2021.
So why is that?
The answer might have something to do with promises made to manager Alex Cora during contract negotiations last summer.
“When it came to your discussions with Alex Cora heading into the contract extension, he told us yesterday that there were some things that he needed from you guys, and you guys had proposals out there for him,” said WEEI’s Courtney Cox. “What were those needs that you guys had to meet to make sure that he was locked up for another three years?”
After a preamble from Kennedy about Cora’s emphasis on taking care of players’ families, he gave them a nugget that might be the answer we’re looking for.
“Most importantly, he really just wanted to ensure that we were going to be committed to winning, like any manager would,” said Kennedy. “And that’s been a hallmark of John [Henry] and Tom [Werner] and Mike [Gordon] and our crew at Fenway Sports Group, going back to 2002.
“We’ve obviously scuffled in years, but there’s always been that commitment and that desire, burning desire, to win championships, and we share that with A.C.”
Sure, this ownership group has won four World Series since buying the team 23 years ago. There was clearly a “burning desire” to win titles throughout the majority of FSG’s tenure in Boston. But ever since the team decided to trade away former AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Dodgers ahead of the 2020 season to avoid future luxury tax penalties, they’ve done little to show a desire of any kind towards competing for a fifth World Series.
For my money, taking five years off from doing everything in your power to win a title disqualifies you from calling your desire to win a “hallmark.” If anything, it became more of a relic.
But after this offseason, it looks like that desire is as “back” as it’s been in half-a-decade.
Whether it’s because of where the organization has risen to with young talent at both the minor and major league levels, or because of a handshake deal with Cora last summer, it doesn’t really matter.
The Sox finally have the horses.
Now it’s time to win again.